Crete is an island just off the coast of Greece in the Mediterranean Sea. It is 156 miles long and 35 miles wide. In the First Century it had a reputation for being a dangerous place. One author said that there were three evil C's in the ancient world: Cilicia, Cappadocia, and Crete. Another author named Polybius said, "The Cretans, on account of their innate greed, live i...

According to Smith's Bible Dictionary, an Apostle is someone who was personally sent out by Jesus to do the following things:
1) Work miracles2) Write Scripture3) Lay a foundation for the church
The dictionary goes on to point out that every book of the New Testament was written by an Apostle or a close associate of one. Everything we need to know about the church has be...

Several years ago, Forbes Magazine published a list of eight qualities that make a great leader. The list included:
1) Enthusiasm2) Integrity3) Great Communication Skills4) Loyalty5) Decisiveness6) Managerial Competence7) Empowerment8) Charisma
The Bible has its own list of qualities that make a great leader and it is found in Titus 1. There Paul writes in verse 7, "For ...

A plaque in a small country church once read:
This is my church. It is composed of people just like me. It will be friendly if I am. It will do a great work if I do it. It will be generous and loving and loyal only if I am all of those things. Therefore, with God's help, I dedicate myself to the task of being all the things I want my church to be.
Whoever said that g...

Several years ago, an interesting caricature was printed in a Baptist journal. To get a laugh out of its readers, the journal said:You might be a Baptist if:
1) You think you will have to take a covered dish to heaven. 2) You feel guilty about throwing your bulletins away after the service.3) You think the Epistles are the wives of the Apostles. 4) When you were little, y...

It has been said that the number of churches that close each year is three times that of the number that open. According to a Radio Canada International study, some denominations in Canada have lost half of their adherents in the last 50 years and, in certain provinces like Quebec, 400 church buildings have been sold. This is not to sound depressed but merely to say that i...

The third point of GFC's vision statement says:
We proclaim grace upon grace through evangelism.
Because Jesus Christ has commissioned us to proclaim His grace, it is our vision to evangelize the lost. Grace is best seen in evangelism. When you have experienced the unmerited favour of God, you cannot help but tell others about it. When you have had your sins forgiven a...

Join us Sunday, January 6 as we kick-start the New Year for our church! We will be having a special Vision Sunday to look at our vision statement during the sermon hour. The opening paragraph of that statement says:
John 1:16-17 says, "For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace. For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized throu...

What does it mean to follow Christ? Several years ago, I was talking with a friend of mine at university who was not a Christian but was very spiritually minded. After attending one of our Campus Bible Studies, she said that she would become a Christian if the cost was not so high. She said that she knows the Bible is true, but she would lose too many friends if she admitt...

There are several views that have come down to us about the after-life. If we were to categorize them, the main ones are as follows:
1. Reincarnation2. Purgatory3. Annihilationism 4. Alternative Worlds5. Universalism 6. Soul Sleep
However, the Bible does not teach any of these views. Instead it teaches what is known as a resurrection. It says that some time after death w...

The last words of a dying man are a sacred thing, especially when that Man is the Son of God. The Bible tells us that there were 7 things that Jesus said from the cross as He was dying. They comprise His final words, and they are as follows:
1. A plea for forgiveness: "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do" (Luke 23:34).
2. A promise of salvation: "Truly I...

The thief on the cross is one of the most interesting characters in the Bible. Not because we know so much about him but because we know so little. We only read a few short verses about his life but they tell us enough. Luke 23:42 says that, as he died, he said, "Jesus, remember me when You come in Your kingdom!" And Jesus said, "Truly I say to you, today you shall be with...

In 1653, the Dutch painter Rembrandt painted a piece called "The Three Crosses" that depicted Jesus dying on the cross between two thieves and the crowd below looking on. And next to all of that, in the shadows, he drew an obscure figure that was difficult to make out. For years, no one knew who it was until it was discovered that it was Rembrandt himself. He put himself i...

In a Peanuts Cartoon, Charlie Brown was once asked if he knew what love was. And he said, "Yes I do. Love is a man named Jesus." He is right. Jesus personified the word "love." In His life and ministry, everything He did and everything He said was to show love and kindness to others.
This was demonstrated at the cross. The cross was as a symbol of the love that God has fo...

It has been said that people often die the way they lived. For example, Merriwether Lewis, the famous explorer, died while exploring North America and Socrates died while promoting his philosophy. Leon Trotsky, the famous revolutionist, died while plotting a revolution and Marie Curie, the discoverer of radioactivity, died of radiation poisoning. Mahatma Gandhi died while ...

During his lifetime, John Knox earned the nickname "the Fiery Reformer" for his boldness in the pulpit and his courage in leading Scotland out of the Middle Ages. Mary Queen of Scots actually said about him that "I fear the prayers of John Knox more than all the assembled armies of Europe." But, like many men, he was anxious about dying. He was concerned about passing on t...

The Holy Spirit has been called the "Cinderella Member of the Trinity" because much of what He does is a mystery. He has also been called the "Holy Ghost" or the "Holy Breath" for the same reason. He is unseen. He is invisible. He operates behind the scenes to save and rescue sinners.
However, this does not mean that what He does is unimportant. The Bible tells us that He...

Several weeks ago, I told the story about a man who was pulled over by a police officer. The man asked why, and the police officer said that he had seen the man utter some angry words at an intersection and pound on his steering wheel during a traffic stop. His face had flushed red with anger when he had to wait at a red light and, the police officer added, that he had a "...

It is said that the great violin player, Paganini, once played an entire concert on one violin string. As he began, he had all four strings, but shortly into it, one of them broke and then another and then another until he only had one left. He was forced to make use of it and, according to eyewitnesses, the result of his performance was staggering. Some in the audience ev...

Feet have never been a very attractive part of the body. Throughout human history, they have been neglected, ignored, forgotten, and walked upon. We pay attention to our face but we do not pay attention to our feet. We put rings and bracelets on our hands but our feet do not get equal treatment.
Which is why Jesus' actions in John 13 are so strange. Verse 5 says that, dur...

David Livingstone was a Scottish physician, missionary, and 19th Century explorer in the jungles of Africa. He traveled the continent from east to west dispensing medicine and preaching the Gospel. In many villages, he was the first white man the people had ever seen and the first encounter they had ever had with Christianity. He led whole villages to Christ before dying a...

According to the latest statistics, 105 people die every minute, 6,316 people die every hour, and 151,600 people die every day somewhere in the world. The same sources estimate that the average lifespan is 67 years and the countries where people live the longest are Japan, Spain, and Switzerland. But, no matter where you live, the statistics state that you will die. No mat...

A poor Indian shepherd was once asked how many sheep he had. To which he replied, "I don't know because I can't count." He was then asked how he knew that they were all there in the field. To which he replied, "Because I know their names."
In John 10, Jesus says that "I am the good shepherd, and I know My own and My own know Me" (verse 14). He also says, "A stranger they ...

In 1982, the Los Angles Times ran the story of a woman named Anna Mae Pennica who had been blind for 62 years. She was born with an illness that took her vision away until a doctor informed her that her condition was treatable and had been treatable for four decades. For 40 years, Mrs. Pennica had the opportunity to see but not the awareness to do so.
Her story is very si...

According to some estimates, there are currently around 4,000 religions in the world today. If you add up all the different versions of Christianity and Hinduism and Islam, the number is extraordinarily high. In fact, some say that that number covers about 84 percent of the world's population. 8 out of 10 people in the world are religious.
Which makes Jesus' statement in ...

Scientists have determined that the human body can live up to 40-60 days without food. Depending on the size of an individual's body and the health of it, we can go an entire month or more without something to eat but we cannot last more than seven days without water. The human body is made up of 65 percent water and, if we go one week without it, we will die.
With that i...

The famous Bible Scholar J. B. Phillips once wrote that: "Why is Jesus called mild? Of all the epithets that could be applied to Christ this seems one of the least appropriate . . . Jesus Christ might well be called 'meek,' in the sense of being selfless and humble . . . but 'mild,' never!" Jesus Christ was not a mild person. He was offensive at times. At times, He was blu...

My wife worked for eight years as a spinal injury rehabilitation nurse in the United States. One of her patients was an Indian man who was paralyzed from the neck down in a traffic accident and left to die by his wife and loved ones. I asked Katie if she could describe him in one word and she said "Angry." In John 5, Jesus heals a man like that. He was angry and without a ...

Several months ago, a local newspaper ran an obituary that caught the attention of the local news. Due to the sensitive nature of the obituary, it was later retracted and a new one was put out but it went like this:
[Person's name] was born March 19, 1938 to [parent's names] in Wabasso, Florida. She married [husband's name] at St. Anne's Church in 1957 and had two childre...

The story is told of a meeting the devil had with some of his followers to figure how to get more people into hell. "Why don't we tell them there is no God?" the devil asked. But nobody liked that idea, because the demons knew that all men know there is a God. "Why don't we tell them there is no hell then?" he said. But that was turned down too because most men know that d...

In his book, The Healing Promise, Richard Mayhue says that healing miracles in the Bible were known by 6 characteristics. They were 1). Immediate 2). Public 3). They took place on ordinary, unplanned occasions 4). They included illnesses that were untreatable by the medical community 5). They were complete and irreversible 6). They were undeniable, even to detractors.
In ...

A little girl was once asked why Jesus is called the Word of God and she replied, "Because He is all God wanted to say to us." She was right because Jesus is all that God wanted to say to us. He is all that we need.
To say it another way: Jesus is sufficient. He is enough to defeat any sin, conquer any temptation, and fulfill any spiritual need. We just need to turn to Hi...

It has been said that most people today only have one or two titles to their name. The average person is called Mr. or Mrs., Dr. or Prof., Col. or Major (if they are in the army), but that is about it. And they are apt to lose those titles with time. A man or a woman may lose their doctorate or professorship. They may get released from the army and lose their rank, never t...

In 2006, an English mountain climber died on Mt. Everest after he stopped moving. His death did not cause him to stop moving but the cessation of movement did cause his death. He perished from hypothermia some time after he fainted and collapsed on the mountain.
The church of Jesus Christ is like that. If it stops moving, it dies. If it stops working for the Lord, it ceas...

The second point of GFC's Vision Statement says:
We proclaim grace upon grace through worship.
Because God's grace is so prevalent in the Bible, we are also committed to emphasizing it in our worship. Colossians 3:16 says, "Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, sin...

Several years ago, a popular Christian blogger asked his audience to tell him what their churches were fighting over today. It was a simple request but, to his surprise, "the Twitter survey blew up." He received thousands of replies, and here are a few of the ones that caught his attention:
their churches are fighting over the length of the worship pastor's beard
the...

In preparing for this week's sermon, I came across a series of questions that started with the phrase "Which one bothered you more?" They were very convicting to me and I thought I would share them with you. Here they are in order:
1. Which one bothered you more: "A soul lost in Hell or a scratch on your new car?"
2. Which one bothered you more: "Missing the morning wors...

Neil Marten, a member of the British Parliament, was once giving a tour of the House of Parliament to some friends when they came across Lord Hailsham, a leading figure in the government. Hailsham immediately recognized Marten in the group and cried out in a loud voice "Neil!" Not daring to disobey the command, the entire group of visitors promptly fell to their knees.
Th...

Frederick Lehman was a German immigrant who moved to America when he was four years old. At the age of eleven, he became a Christian and went on to study for the ministry and pastor several churches in Iowa, Indiana, and Missouri. He also wrote hundreds of Gospel songs, the most famous being "The Love of God." The first verse and the chorus say this:
The love of God is ...

Throughout the centuries, there have been several theories used to disprove the resurrection of Jesus Christ. These include the swoon theory, the theft theory, and the wrong tomb theory. There has also been the magician theory, the hallucination theory, and the twin theory (the idea that Jesus had a twin brother who was crucified). One of the most interesting ones was the ...

During the construction of the Golden Gate Bridge, no protective devices were used. 23 men fell to their deaths. As a result, the work slowed down until the contractors decided to put in a safety net. After several weeks, the net saved 10 lives, and the work increased by 25%. Why? Because the men felt safe. They knew that something was there to catch them.
Paul alludes to...

In the 5th Century, a monk named Benedict of Nursia struggled tremendously with sin. Try as he might, he just could not get victory over it. He went so far as to wear a rough hair shirt and live for three years in a desolate cave where his food was lowered to him by a cord. At another time, he threw himself into a thorn bush, only to come out bloody and beaten up, but it d...

What does it mean to confess your sin? Many years ago, a king named David stayed behind when his people went off to war. As he did so, he saw a beautiful woman bathing and he slept with her. She was married to another man. She became pregnant with child. This greatly concerned David, so he had her husband killed and he married her.
Problem solved, right? No, because God w...

Erk Russell coached the George Southern football team from 1981-1989 and was known for his unconventional method of teaching his players. Once he asked some backwoods country farmers to bring a six-foot rattlesnake into one of their meetings and throw it on a table. As they did so, the players all scrambled for the door, and Russell said: "You should fear drugs as much as ...

When the New Testament was written, there were several words the authors used that were unusual. One of them was the word agape, which means "love." The Greek language had several words for love, but this one was hardly ever employed in their literature. For example, Homer did not use it in the Iliad. Plato and Aristotle did not use it in their philosophical writings. And ...

It has been said that there are close to 8,000 promises in the Bible, and not a one of them has ever failed to come true. It has also been said that those promises do not break by leaning on them. In other words, you can take God at His Word. You can trust Him that He will be faithful.
With that in mind, Paul says in Romans 4:3: "Abraham believed God and it was credited t...

One of the oldest denominations in the world is a group called the Moravians who came from what is now known as the Czech Republic. In times past, they were passionate, zealous, and very evangelistic. The story is told of two of their missionaries who approached the owner of a Caribbean Island about witnessing to his slaves, because they had never heard the Gospel before. ...

In the early 1900's, a major London newspaper wrote an editorial asking the question: "What is wrong with the world?" After several passionate replies that discussed everything from politics to the need for more medicine and social reform, one author answered in two simple words: "I am."
That is the theme of Romans 2. After saying that "the wrath of God is revealed from H...

An atheist was being chased by a bear one day when he prayed: "Lord, please save me!"
"But you don't believe in me", the Lord said.
"Then please save the bear", the Atheist replied. "Make him a Christian."
So the Lord did that, and the next thing the Atheist heard is the bear saying: "Oh Lord, I thank Thee for this food which I am about to receive."
The point is that a...

The Book of Romans has been considered by some to be the greatest letter ever written and the greatest book in the Bible. Martin Luther said: "Should a tyrant succeed in destroying the Holy Scriptures and only a single copy of the epistle to the Romans and the Gospel according to John escape him, Christianity would be saved." William Tyndale said that Romans is the "most e...

A man was once asked in a survey: "What are you looking for in a church?" To which he replied: "Red brick." In other words, he had no idea. He was not sure what to look for in a church.
I think a lot of Christians are like that today. They have no idea what the church is supposed to look like. According to the Pew Research Center, 27 percent of Canadians still consider th...

This past week, I was in the San Francisco Airport and looking for a place for my kids to take a nap. It had been a long day, and we were in the middle of a long lay-over. So my wife and I were walking around trying to find a good spot to put them down when we noticed the Yoga Room. It was a small room set aside for travelers to meditate and relax. It was designed for mome...

The World Book Encyclopedia defines Christmas as "a Christian holiday that celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ." The encyclopedia goes on to state that "Christmas is the happiest and busiest time of the year for millions of Christians throughout the world and people of different countries celebrate the holiday in various ways."
But it raises an important question: why do...

In his autobiography, Benjamin Franklin tells the story of meeting Cotton Mather, the famous New England preacher, at his home. And, as they were leaving through a room with a low ceiling, Mather shouted "Stoop! Stoop!". But it was too late. Benjamin Franklin hit his head against it, which prompted Mather to say: "You are young, and have the world before you; stoop as you ...

On May 16, 1998, Christopher Sercye was playing basketball with his friends in downtown Chicago when he was shot in the chest. Immediately, his friends rushed him to the hospital and left him outside while they ran in for help. The staff, however, refused to help him because they said it was against protocol to help those outside the hospital. By the time he was finally ru...

Last week, the Chilliwack Progress covered two sad stories on the front cover. One involved a convicted offender who was asking for parole. The other involved a police officer who was killed in the line of duty. And, in both, people asked the question: "Where is the justice?" "How is this fair?"
Suffering always raises questions of justice. It always raises the issue of r...

To get you thinking about our passage for Sunday, I have a pop quiz for you. How would you finish this sentence? "You can tell someone is a Christian when they __________ ." Some might say: "You can tell someone is a Christian when they profess the name of Christ." After all, the Bible says a lot about making a profession. The problem, however, is that Jesus also says: "Ma...

The doctrine of end times may be one of the most controversial topics around. It has caused more heartache and confusion than possibly any other subject in the Christian life. For example, in the 1800s, some time between the War of 1812 and the Civil War, a popular preacher appeared in America named William Miller saying that the end was coming. As a result, his followers ...

On December 17, 1927, the USS S-4 Submarine was running maneuvers off the coast of Massachusetts when it was accidentally hit by a Coast Guard Destroyer. The impact left a 2-foot gash in the hull that could not plugged. So the submarine sank to the bottom of the ocean where it sat for 3 days waiting to be rescued. While it was there, it sent messages to other vessels in th...

1 Peter 3:19-22 is considered to be one of the most controversial passages in the Bible. Commentators are deeply divided over what it all means, but the overarching message is clear: Jesus is Lord of all. The main point is an encouraging one: there is nothing outside of His control.
Are you worried about where our society is headed today? Does the news get you down and af...

A missionary was once asked where God was when an orphan died. To which she replied, "The same place He has always been . . . with the orphan. The better question is: 'Where were you?'"
The Bible tells us that God is with us in our suffering. It tells us that He is with the orphan and the widow and First Peter 3 says that He demonstrates this at the cross. First Peter3:18...

What are you hoping in? Bart Erhman is the James A. Gray Distinguished Professor at the University of North Carolina who abandoned the Christian faith because of the problem of evil. He said that he could not understand how a good God could let people experience so much pain. However, in his book, God's Problem, he went on to state:
'When I fell away from my faith not ju...

What are you hoping in? Bart Erhman is the James A. Gray Distinguished Professor at the University of North Carolina who abandoned the Christian faith because of the problem of evil. He said that he could not understand how a good God could let people experience so much pain. However, in his book,God's Problem, he went on to state:
"When I fell away from my faith not ju...

According to a 2016 study, more British Columbians love their pets than their spouse. To quote the Global News website, "A new poll found that 54% of British Columbians admitted to having days when they loved their dogs more than their spouses. Guess a dog really is 'man's best friend."
While that sounds funny, it is actually very sad because it disagrees with Scripture. ...

According to the latest statistics, four out of ten marriages in Canada end in divorce and, for the first time in history, there are more unmarried adults than married ones. You can add to this that 30 percent of Canadians now live alone, with numbers on the rise. Why is this? Why are people running away from marriage?
There are probably a lot of answers to that question ...

Three little boys once had a contest to see who could walk the straightest line in the snow. To do it, they picked a tree as their final destination and, when they had finished, they noticed that one little boy's tracks were by far the best. So they asked him why and he said, "Because I kept my eyes on the tree. The rest of you guys kept staring at your feet."
That is wha...

According to a recent survey, only 50 percent of Canadians actually enjoy their jobs and, of those who do, many would leave if they had a better offer. The same survey ranked Canada 17 out of 35 countries in job satisfaction, which raises an important question: What do you do when you don't like your job? What do you do when you want to quit and go somewhere else? More to ...

Bruce Waltke, the former Old Testament Professor from Dallas Theological Seminary, tells the story of the time he was walking in the forest with his daughter and came across a butterfly emerging from a cocoon. As he did so, he thought, "I will just help it out a little bit" and he took out a knife and split part of the shell. When he did so, the creature fell out and died ...

Why are we starting with a series on suffering?August 18marks my eighth month anniversary at the church and, as I look back on our time together, I cannot help but ask myself, "Why are we starting with a series on suffering? Certainly there must be something more positive to talk about. Why did I pick such a gloomy topic?" Then I remember that we live in an evil world and ...

In the spring of 2000, James Montgomery Boice, the pastor of Tenth Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia, was diagnosed with liver cancer and only given a short time to live. On May 2 of that same year, he gave the following report to his church:
"Should you pray for a miracle? Well, you're free to do that, of course. But my general impression is that the God Who is able to...

On September 11, 2001, Lieutenant Coronel Brian Birdwell was walking through the U. S. Pentagon when the building was hit by a hijacked plane flown by terrorists. As a result, 60 percent of his body was burned and both of his lungs were seared in the fire. After 6 excruciating surgeries, the doctors gave him a less than one percent chance of survival. But he did survive ...

Why does God allow suffering and pain? A little boy once swallowed poison and his father called the hospital to see what he should do. They told him to bring the boy into the Emergency Room but keep him awake at all costs. So, as he drove the child in, he kept slapping him to keep him awake. Every time the little boy dozed off, SLAP, SLAP, SLAP. The child thought his fat...

The first physician to die of AIDS in the United Kingdom was a young Christian who contracted the disease while doing research in Zimbabwe. In the last days of his life, he could not speak but only had enough strength to write the letter "J." His wife did not know what he meant but, after running through a list of medical terms, she finally blurted out "Jesus!" and he no...

On November 21, 1873, the French ocean liner Ville du Havre was crossing the Atlantic Ocean when it was struck by another ship and began to sink. Within a few minutes, it was completely submerged under water and 226 passengers were killed. Among them, were the four daughters of Horatio G. Spafford, a successful businessman and committed Christian. Upon seeing the spot wher...

According to the Globe and Mail website, Canadians spend an average of 30 hours per week in front of the television. According to another site, the average child will spend more time watching TV by the time they finish grade school than they will spend talking to their father in their entire lifetime. They will also have consumed about 350,000 commercials by the time they ...

Do you have hope? Two chickens were sitting on a fence one day when one turned to the other and said, "Do you think everyone suffers?" To which the other replied, "No, that's just you. The rest of us are having a great time!" I think it is safe to say that he was wrong. Everyone does suffer. We are not all having a great time but the good news is that we can have hope in t...

Angels are some of the smartest creatures in all of creation. They are also some of the most holy. They have been with God since the beginning and have been closer to Him than any other being. And Scripture tells us that they love to study salvation. Of all the topics they are interested in, angels love to explore the topic of salvation. 1 Peter 1:12 says that they "long t...

Providence has been called "The hand of God in the glove of human events." It is the doctrine that God moves and guides and controls the universe. Psalm 115:3 says, "But our God is in the heavens, He does whatever He pleases." Isaiah 46:9-11 says, "I am God, and there is no one like Me, Declaring the end from the beginning...I have planned it, surely I will do it." The pro...

William Cowper wrote one of the most beloved hymns of all time ("There is a Fountain Filled with Blood") but is little known today because he struggled tremendously with depression. There were times when he could hardly get out of bed and go on with life. In fact, it got so bad that in December of 1763 he tried to kill himself and was admitted into an insane asylum where t...

C. S. Lewis was once asked if the righteous suffer. "Why not?" he said. "They are the only ones who can handle it." The Bible is very clear that the righteous suffer alongside the wicked. It minces no words in explaining that believers suffer right alongside non-believers. 2 Timothy 3:12 says, "Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted." Phili...

The word "commitment" has fallen on hard times today. For example, statistics tell us that four out of ten marriages end in divorce, the average person holds up to 15 different jobs, and they move a staggering 12 times before finally settling down somewhere. And Christians are no different. It has been said that the average Christian has two kids, two cars, one house, one ...

Who can join the church? The answer to that question is simple: Christians. Christians can join the church. But how can you tell if someone is a Christian? The answer to that question is simple too: confession. Romans 10:9 says, "That if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved." But what does...

Who can lead the church? The famous Methodist preacher, John Wesley once said, "Give me one hundred preachers who fear nothing but sin, and desire nothing but God, and I care not a straw whether they be clergymen or laymen; such alone will shake the gates of hell and set up the kingdom of heaven on Earth." His point was that the right men will always make the right church....

Have you ever wondered why the church is so messy? The story is told of a mom who woke her son up on a Sunday morning to tell him it was time for church. He responded by saying that he did not want to go. So she said in response: "But, Honey, you have to go. You are the pastor!" I think we have all experienced that from time-to-time. We have all wanted to stay in bed rathe...

In my studies today, I came across a poem that really summarizes what thisSunday's sermonis allabout. It is called "The Perfect Church."
"I think that I shall never seeA church that's all that it should be;A church whose members never strayBeyond the straight and narrow way;
A church that has no empty pewsWhose preacher never sings the blues;A church whose deacons always...

Several years ago, a philosophy professor at Northeastern Illinois University contacted several of his fellow professors to ask them what the meaning of life was. Here was their response: "I do not know the meaning of life." "I do not think there is an answer to the question, what is the meaning of life." "I have never found the meaning of life." "I'm afraid the meaning of...

Several years ago, a friend of mine was sitting on a plane next to a missionary and a volunteer from the Bill Gates Foundation. As he listened to them talk about their work in Africa, he realized that they sounded very much the same. They both built wells. They both taught locals how to read and write. They both provided health care, dental care, and counsel. "What's the d...

Recently, Lifeway Christian Research did a study where it was found that 37 percent of people who leave churches do so because they cannot get along with other Christians. In other words, they cannot make peace, which is so sad because Matthew 5:9 says: "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God" and 1 Thessalonians 5:13 says: "Live in peace with ea...

This week, I heard someone say that God does not give us more than we can bear; He gives us way more than we can bear. Otherwise, we wouldn't need God. The Bible says the same thing. 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 says: "'My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.' Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ ...

Dawson Trotman was the founder of the Navigators and a well-known Evangelist in the mid-1900's who died while saving a young girl from drowning. He actually held her up while he himself perished under the waves. At his funeral, one of the keynote speakers said: "Dawson died the same way he lived holding others up." Discipleship is a lot like that; it is the act of holding...

"What is the church supposed to be doing? Drop into any local church and you could find several different answers to that question. Some churches want to focus on their music. They want to have the best choir and the best concerts and the best ensembles in town. Others want to focus on their programs. They want to have the most relevant kid's program and the most rockin' y...

Snow is one of the prettiest things that God ever created and it reminds us of salvation. Isaiah 1:18 says: "'Come now, and let us reason together,' says the Lord 'Though your sins are as scarlet, they will be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they will be like wool.'" Through the shed blood of Christ, though you were once scarlet in God's sight, now you ...

A large denomination once posted a list of typos in their church bulletins that included statements such as: "Ladies, don't forget the rummage sale. It's a chance to get rid of those things not worth keeping around the house. Don't forget your husbands." And "Barbara is having trouble sleeping in the hospital. She requests tapes of Pastor Jack's sermons to help her." While...

"According to the Hartford Institute for Religious Research, 40 percent of Americans say that they attend church regularly but only 20 percent actually do. While the numbers vary a little bit, Canadians are in much the same plight. On any given Sunday, eight out of ten choose to stay home instead of going to a place of worship, which makes you wonder: "Who cares?" "Is the ...

Another interesting fact about babies is that they grow. They cannot stay the same. As each day passes, they become bigger and smarter and stronger with time and it is the same way with Christians. So if you are wondering: am I saved? Ask yourself the question: am I growing? John MacArthur says that Christianity is not about perfection; it is about direction. So what is th...

One interesting fact about babies is that they have everything they need from the moment they are born. Hands. Toes. Eyes. Ears. Feet. It is all there and it is the same way with Christians when they are reborn (1 Peter 1:3, 23). We are provided with everything. Faith. Hope. Love. Truth. The Holy Spirit. It is all there and we just need to grow into it (Ephesians 4:14-16)....

A young child was once asked why Jesus is called "the Word." She said it was because Jesus was all God wanted to say to us and she got it exactly right. If you think about it, Jesus was perfect in every way. He was a prophet, priest, and king (Hebrews 7). He was the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6). He was the Door (John 10:9), our Shepherd (John 10:11), our Advoca...

Only crucified men can worship a crucified Messiah (Luke 9:23-25). Only humble men can follow the Son of a carpenter (Philippians 2:1-8). Christianity is not for the proud. People often say that they cannot believe because they are not strong enough when, in reality, it is because they are not weak enough. They are still trusting in themselves. Jesus came to call the dead ...

It has been said that Mary wrapped the first Christmas present in the manger but we could go a step further and say that God wrapped it in eternity past. First Peter 1:20 says, 'For He was foreknown before the foundation of the world' and Acts 2:23 says, 'He was handed over by God's set plan and foreknowledge.' In other words, if you are in Christ, you could never lose you...

As Christians, we serve a living God, which means that you can talk to Him any time you want. In the dentist chair. In the office. At school or at home or in traffic. You can talk to God anywhere and everywhere because He is alive. People from other religions can't do that. They have to go to temples and confess to priests and offer sacrifices before they utter a single pr...

Romans 5:8says, "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were sinners, Christ died for us," which means that Jesus died for bad people. He died for the murderers and the idolaters and the liars. He died for the blasphemous and the covetous and the adulterous. He died for all of those who have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, which means th...

Christians are in the forgiveness business because God is in it too. After all, Jesus did not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance (Luke 5:32). He came to find lost sheep (Luke 15:1-7), lost coins (Luke 15:8-10), and lost people (Luke 15:11-32). He came to serve the blind and the lame and the deaf (Matthew 11:5). He came to heal the brokenhearted and bind ...

Sometimes you have to live life one hour at a time because one day at a time is too hard. Charles Spurgeon said that, by perseverance, the snail reached the ark and, by perseverance, Christians will reach Heaven. You cannot get there by leaps and bounds, you have to walk it every day, which means that some days you will go slow. Some days you will have to crawl along on yo...